About three aquifers are expected to add about 105 million liters of water per day by 2036.
In a statement released this week, the City said it would invest R445 million in the current financial year (2024/25), towards adding 105 million litres of groundwater to the City’s drinking water supply per day, by 2036.
This is in addition to a R390 million injection, in the previous year for groundwater schemes.
The three up for development, are Table Mountain Group Aquifer, Cape Flats Aquifer and the Atlantis Aquifer.
City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien, said ‘in the face of climate change and exponential population growth, Cape Town cannot afford to remain solely dependent on dams for water supply in the long-term. Seeing the City’s Water Strategy progressing in investments such as these developments in groundwater schemes, is integral to the success of the New Water Programme. Having multiple sources of water contributing to the City’s supply, positions us to be more resilient and enables us to meet growing demand for water security in the future.”
The Table Mountain Group Aquifer has eight production boreholes, which have pumped into Upper Steenbras Dam since August 2020.
They yield approximately 20 million litres of water per day.
The City is developing the Peninsula Aquifer, which will increase the wellfield yield to approximately 25 million litres of water per day, to supply about 50 000 households.
The Cape Flats Aquifer stretches over 400 km², from False Bay in the south, to Brackenfell in the northeast and Milnerton in the northwest.
It has five groups of boreholes, Strandfontein West, Strandfontein North and East, Philippi, Hanover Park, Mitchells Plain, expected to produce 50 million litres a day, since late 2022.
Construction of the 10 – million- litres per day Philippi Water Treatment Plant started in June 2024, with borehole drilling and pipeline construction under way.
The Atlantis Aquifer covers an area of approximately 250 km² along the West Coast. The Atlantis Water Resource Management Scheme has supplied Atlantis with groundwater from the sandy Atlantis Aquifer since the 1970s.
Water is pumped from two groups of boreholes, namely Witzands and Silwerstroom wellfields. Ongoing refurbishment, as well as optimisation of the wellfields and managed aquifer recharge (MAR) infrastructure is expected to increase the groundwater supply volume to 25 million litres per day.
Picture: Supplied